Thursday, November 20, 2008

Local Teams Join Automotive XPRIZE Contest

Three local teams have joined the Automotive X PRIZE contest, a new contest from the X PRIZE Foundation, the group behind the first commercial vehicle to reach space. According to the group, Washington-based Avion, Oregon-based Kinetic Vehicles, and a group from Western Washington Univeresity are among the twenty-two teams competing for $10M in prizes in the contest. The contest--the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE--is an effort to spur the development of 100 MPG, super fuel-efficient vehicles. The prize will be awarded in 2010. Avion is based in Bellingham, Washington; Kinetic Vehicles is based in Cave Junction, Oregon; and the Western Washington group is based on of the Western Washington University’s Vehicle Research Institute (VRI), also in Bellingham.